RPGWatch Feature: Inside The Witcher, Part 2

[Bart]

It's really a pity, that the game appears without all "The Witcher Saga's" books (english version of course) in bookseller's stores...

In Poland we're simply in love with the whole Sapkowski's world, and it's not because we haven't read any good english/american fantasy books. Truly, we have read many of them. But Sapkowski's world is... so real, so similar to ours (racism, power, ambitions, cruelty...but also beauty, friendship, love), and...damn!...so well written by Sapkowski!

Even, if you won't like the game, you should read some of sapkowski books, when they come in english.
So, when we (Poles) are reading about character and race customization, we simply cannot imagine that. For us is just as...as...
Let's have some RPG in Star Wars, which is named "Han Solo Adventures". You are very excited to play as a Han Solo, and some ....ignorant ;] writes "I always like to play as a woman character. Why I can't change Han Solo to a woman? :/ Bleeeah, I won't boy this "Han Solo" crap because of a weak character customization possibilities :/"


You understand us (Poles&CD Projekt) now?

Sorry 4my baaad english
(hopefuly, that won't be me, who translate the Whitcher Saga to english )
and enjoy the Witcher's world...
Greetings from Poland

 

[nessosin]

Its seems that RPGWatch is constantly under marketing fire(done by polish fans) since you wrote your preview Dhruin.

I only wonder whether its flow of fresh blood or only seasonal guests .

BTW. Thx Dhruin for your effort with writing this great two-part preview, Iam already waiting for full review.

 

[magerette]

I'd take it that she was just kidding. The male-centric tendency of hardboiled literature naturally leave rooms for parodies. However, I wonder if they could be as good as the original works are. Some interesting ideas from forum members but, at the end of the day, we should be careful not to mix them with the actual presentation of the Witcher.

I could kick myself for I didn't come up with Raymond Chandler by myself while reading all the information but I now find my expectation to the game somehow changed.

I was kidding, but I do also think it would be possible to turn things around a bit and still make a game that was faithful to Sapkowski's world-of course I say that without having read very much of his work-just a short story in English.

I understand what you mean about Raymond Chandler. Great author. The hard-boiled "private eye" in detective fiction is a hard male stereotype to change. I read a lot of detective novels, and there are few women protagonists that come close. I've only found one author who's been successful at creating a hardboiled and no-nonsense female PI , but it shows it can be done. It just takes a lot of talent to turn around people's expectations and still make the genre work.


BTW, it's good to see all the Polish Witcher fans here. I wish I could read your language and communicate as well in it as you do in English.

 

[Lethal Weapon]

One could certainly adjust things and come up with a male version of Snowhite, but then it wouldn't be Snowhite, would it? That short story you read, magerette, was Sapkowski's version of Snowhite, where the prince - Geralt - kills the fair girl instead of marrying her.

To be honest I've been having my reservations about the game since the day it was announced. First of all it uses the Aurora engine and I'm an experienced enough gamer to know that there's too much bs hardcoded there. Several other concerns I'm too lazy to mention right now except this one:

Contemporary themes included in a game is a very delicate matter. To illustrate my point, a contemporary theme is millions of children dying each year in the third world out of hunger and disease. The moment a game decides to engage in the above theme, it stops being only a game; here the social aspect of art as a means of communication, exchanging ideas, increasing awareness, propaganda etc becomes prominent. It all depends on how it's done and for that reason I will withhold judjement until I get the the chance to play the game. Terrorism, racism etc are all very touchy subjects. What if "The Witcher" includes those topics just as a cheap way to increase its sales? At the very least imagine how the widow of a victim from a terrorist attack would feel.

(Acleacius: do you really think that the solution to terrorism is really so simple as both sides laying down their weapons, wouldn' it have been down by now? Every sane person would love to live in an earth where we are all brothers and sisters, right?. Passing moral judjements as 'both sides are wrong' or 'this side is right' is just as meaningless as irrelevant. Much more important to try to identify the causes and work on eliminating them.)

 

[Dhruin]

I still maintain that any assumptions based on the use of Aurora are pointless and as likely erroneous as not.

Anyone smart will withhold judgment until they have played the game - I've only seen a percentage of an unfinished version, and readers are only getting that limited experience filtered through my ability to communicate it and my personal preferences (same for other previews).

That said, while I would think Sapkowski's original intent in writing the setting is to play with racism and other universal themes, most players are simply going to see this as part of creating an interesting setting (that is true to the source) - no more, no less. The Lord of the Rings clearly explores racism as a central theme but I've never seen anyone raise that as a potential problem because it remains a "contemporary" issue.

I doubt terrorist victims will feel anything about a fantasy setting where a group of elves and dwarves fight a mythical human empire with some "underhanded" tactics - again, I can find similar material in The Lord of the Rings. Don't read too much into this - it's simply a "dark" setting with some grubby corners that is more coherent than most.

 

[Badesumofu]

I'll be interested to see which side I take when I encounter the Elves wanting weapons. If they're killing individuals who aren't directly involved in oppressing them, I'll oppose them. Being an individualist, I'm pretty opposed to the idea of punishing a group for the actions of specific individuals within that group.

 

[Jabberwocky]

After I signed off last night I started brainstorming, and here's what I've come up with for the sequel: Geralt is supposed to be like 100 years old right? So, theoretically he could have a full blown adult child, right? Okay okay I know someone mentioned that Witchers are sterile, but they are also supposed to be devoid of feelings, right? But Geralt is different, he has feelings, so maybe he has other normal functions as well.....SO..... how about a game where you play as the illigitimate daughter of Geralt, by one of those 'nameless' prostitutes. She perhaps inheirited some of his mutated abilities, and shows a talent for controlling the 'signs' much more powerfully than even the Witchers (because she's female, and hence a strong Mage character). After learning of her origin she sets out on a quest to find her long lost father and the order of the Witchers. Heck, you could interweave that whole real-world issue about prostitution that someone mentioned earlier. In a George Lucas fashion, the game could even be a PREquel to the current Witcher game - wasn't Geralt supposed to be missing for 5 years or something? The emotional climax to this prequel could tie into that somehow....

Okay seriously I know this post is rediculous, especially given the fact that I just realized it mirrors the story of D'Artagnan and the 3 Musketeers. I also probably just insulted a whole bunch of Polish fans without even knowing it... Oh well!

 

[Crolug]

No, I think it is funny .

But believe me - Geralt IS sterile. Just as his love - Yennefer. Now you have it - two strong individuals - the witcher and the mage - which are destined for each other, wanting badly to have children (especially Yen) and yet can't have them. Tragic, huh?

So basically Ciri is step daughter of those two, trained by witchers and mages, plus she's a prophecy girl with huge powers inside her, which most of them are still to be revealed... There you have it - your perfect pre/sequel girl

 

[MikeZZ]

I think there will be an add-on first instead of se/prequel . Somethig like Night of Raven in Gothic 2. New maps, NPCs, quests. How do I know that there will be a continuation of the Witcher ? The devs are offering new jobs. Before the release ! They know they will succed. They are looking 4 X360 programer as well. So maybe they are going to make conversion.

 

[Dusk]

I was kidding, but I do also think it would be possible to turn things around a bit and still make a game that was faithful to Sapkowski's world-of course I say that without having read very much of his work-just a short story in English.

I understand what you mean about Raymond Chandler. Great author. The hard-boiled "private eye" in detective fiction is a hard male stereotype to change. I read a lot of detective novels, and there are few women protagonists that come close. I've only found one author who's been successful at creating a hardboiled and no-nonsense female PI , but it shows it can be done. It just takes a lot of talent to turn around people's expectations and still make the genre work.

I am wondering who might it be but I think it can be done well with some talents. Also, checking some reviews on the Last Wish, parodies and humours seem not to be alien to Spakowski's works at all. Some reviews on The Last Wish mention Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, who are good at writing humourous parodies/satires in fantasy/Sci-Fi settings of the real world issues, showing reminiscence of English heritage of Swift. Also, it is small wonder in that writers from post communist world are known to be good at subtle political satires.

That said, other than humour and parodies, though, the alien background of Geralt and his insight seem to work as a device to give readers more depth, too, which probably has some connections with what Dhruin mentioned above this post.

"People," Geralt turned his head, "like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves. When they get blind-drunk, cheat, steal, beat their wives, starve an old woman, when they kill a trapped fox with an axe or riddle the last existing unicorn with arrows, they like to think that the Bane entering cottages at daybreak is more monstrous than they are. They feel better then. They find it easier to live."

Personally, I like non-escapist and dystopian fantasy and Sci-Fi settings with some insight to us and/our world and hope the Witcher will turn out to be successful in this area. I think/hope RPG still has great potential if the notion is not fixated by past commercial successes.

 

[magerette]

Thanks for that quote, Dusk. It's much more revealing to me than a game description of the kind of character Geralt is. I look forward to seeing his world through his eyes in The Witcher. I'm not in any hurry to see anyone change it; I'd like to get to know it first.

(The author I referred to with the female private eye is Marcia Muller. Her series deals with California investigator Sharon McCone. She won the Edgar in 2005.(Mystery Writers of America Grand Master award )

 

[zima98]

I'll be interested to see which side I take when I encounter the Elves wanting weapons. If they're killing individuals who aren't directly involved in oppressing them, I'll oppose them. Being an individualist, I'm pretty opposed to the idea of punishing a group for the actions of specific individuals within that group.

Conflict between humans and elves is like conflict of civilizations, of course individuals not directly involved in conflict suffer - from both sides. Elves are weaker side there. It's my personal interpretation but situation of elves in Sapkowski books reminds me Indians in North America (in some aspects).

Here's a part describing elves from ign article about races in The Witcher:
"History likes to repeat itself. And as once the elves conquered the gnomes and drove out the dwarves, now the elves are on the run and on the verge of extinction. Enclosed in forest enclaves or living in urban ghettos, the elves take one of three desperate survival strategies - they either try and blend in with the humans, pretend that nothing happened and follow old traditions, or join the Scoiatael and lead a guerilla war against their conquerors. Ironically, this desperate situation was brought about by the elves' greatest hero.
Rousing the elves from their torpor when the humans were appropriating their lands, cities, and towns, the elven hero led his race to ultimate doom and ruin. Most of the elves that died in battles with the overwhelming numbers of humans were young and of reproduction age. Consequently, those elves that survived — despite their young appearances — are paradoxically in fact the immortal elderly that are unable to reproduce, who have to watch as their once great nation fades and dies away."

And here's a video about a moment of history of the witcher's world when the action of game takes place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5K0L73ERMw
(be calm, this lector from video won't make a dubbing for English version of game .)

 

[Jabberwocky]

No, I think it is funny .

But believe me - Geralt IS sterile. Just as his love - Yennefer. Now you have it - two strong individuals - the witcher and the mage - which are destined for each other, wanting badly to have children (especially Yen) and yet can't have them. Tragic, huh?

So basically Ciri is step daughter of those two, trained by witchers and mages, plus she's a prophecy girl with huge powers inside her, which most of them are still to be revealed... There you have it - your perfect pre/sequel girl

And so obviously there is much more history and background with the Witcher than I am aware of. That's cool, sounds like the characters I had in mind are already in place.

 

[Crolug]

Damn Dhruin, you're a rather dark fellow, all screenshots are made during bad weather and/or night. Could you give us at least one screenshot made during sunny weather? There ARE sunny days in The Witcher, right? It's like in that song - "it can't rain all the time" after all

 

[Lethal Weapon]

I doubt terrorist victims will feel anything about a fantasy setting where a group of elves and dwarves fight a mythical human empire with some "underhanded" tactics

I doubt terrorist victims would feel anything at all since they would be dead, right?

It's my personal interpretation but situation of elves in Sapkowski books reminds me Indians in North America (in some aspects).

How very interesting. From what I've read so far I get a similar impression. Did you know that the vast majority of the native Indian population died out of old world diseases? A simple flu could wipe out an entire village in days.

It will certainly be holding my curiosity to see how Sapkowski's parallelisms and metaphors are implemented in the game.

On a side note, my interest in "The Witcher" being risen, I did some research and found this interview from lead designer Michal Madej. Amongst other things he states:

IGN: I didn't like the main story in Oblivion very much.

Michal Madej: I didn't like Oblivion at all.

My feelings exactly!

 

[Jabberwocky]

Damn Dhruin, you're a rather dark fellow, all screenshots are made during bad weather and/or night. Could you give us at least one screenshot made during sunny weather? There ARE sunny days in The Witcher, right? It's like in that song - "it can't rain all the time" after all

Yes I noticed the scenery was a bit dark, which is not a problem mood-wise, but it almost seemed too dark to see what you're doing. I hope the game doesn't require some monitor tweaking just to play it.

It Can't Rain All the Time is one of my favorite songs ever. I'm surprised someone else actually knows what it is! Bravo!

 

[Dhruin]

Damn Dhruin, you're a rather dark fellow, all screenshots are made during bad weather and/or night. Could you give us at least one screenshot made during sunny weather? There ARE sunny days in The Witcher, right? It's like in that song - "it can't rain all the time" after all

Not many in my game, sorry. I don't know if it's random or designed to be "dark". Sorry, I'll try for more sunshine later but so far, Vizima is wet and cloudy.

 

[Crolug]

It Can't Rain All the Time is one of my favorite songs ever. I'm surprised someone else actually knows what it is! Bravo!

I could listen to that song over and over and over again...

 

[zima98]

Yes I noticed the scenery was a bit dark, which is not a problem mood-wise, but it almost seemed too dark to see what you're doing. I hope the game doesn't require some monitor tweaking just to play it.

It Can't Rain All the Time is one of my favorite songs ever. I'm surprised someone else actually knows what it is! Bravo!

You can see a little sun in a gameplay :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVtOqan8A3k

One of special abilities of witchers is to see in the dark. In the game you can drink a potion that allows you to see better in the night (you enivronment will be in greys and live creatures in red and blue). You can see this in the end of video from E3'06
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60ls40e-rG0
But I don't if they stayed or resigned from this idea.

 

[kalniel]

I've seen plenty of daylight in this game, don't worry!

But it's more boring artistically

edit: re customisation..
I don't think that issue ever hindered enjoyment of planescape torment, which had a very rigid backstory, including romance.

And most men didn't complain about taking control of Lara Croft..